Slicing-machine



J. FOLK. sL`|c|NG MACHINE.

'APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 191.8.:

Famed Ma1?18,1920.

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I I. FOLK.

SLICING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. ma'.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 18, 1920.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2- J. FOLK.

SLICING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILZS. IsIs.

Patented May 18, 1920.

' 6 SHEETS-SHEET 3. o@ 4 lIN E TOR. M M BY plfaw A TVToRNEYs.

J. FOLK.

SLICING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 191s.

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Ig] V EN TOR. M

A TToRNEYs.

' J. FOLK.

SL| CING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. Isls.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

Patented May 18, 1920.

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BY m kdwq ATTORNEYS.

J. FOLK.

SLICING MACHINE. APPLICATION. HLlD. ARR. 2 5. 1.91.8.

1,340,219. Patented May 18, 1920.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

IN V EN TOR.

. WM BYAMQLd/M ATTORNEYS.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l JOSEPH FOLK, OF LAPORTE, INDIANA, ASSIGN OR TO U. S. SLICING MACHINE COMPANY,

OF LAPORTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION 0F INDIANA.

SLICINGr-MACI-IINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1918. Serial No. 230,695.

To 'all whom it may concern: n Be it known that I, JOSEPH FOLK, a eltizen of the United States, residing at Laporte, in the county of Laporte'and State vice of the character named which shall be of improved construction and operation.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, and

it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingsp Figure 1 is a front elevation of a slicing machine having one embodiment of the present invention connected therewith.

Fig. 2,is a top plan view of themachine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail.

Y Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 4 4 of Fig. 2 with the collecting tray omitted.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and are detail views of the operating cam and associated part for the stacker ly.

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation on line 9 9 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional. view on line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

. Fig. 11 is a view similarl to Fig. 10 but with the stacker belt in discharging position.

Fig. 12 shows a portion of the stacker belt and its relation to the slicing knife on a larger scale `than that of Figs. 10 and 11.

Fig. 13 is an elevation looking from the right in Fig. 1.

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are fragmentary details showing the feeding mechanism for the slice tray; and

Figs. 17 and 18 show a modified forni of slice tray feeding mechanism.

In the operation of machinesfor slicing most materials, it isl desirableto place the slices, as they are formed, in a pile or stack on Vtop of one another. It has been customary for the operator to grasp the slice as it is formed, in one hand, while he turns the .machine with the other, and place the slices in stack formation. This, of course, is an inconvenient method of operation, and in many cases is unsanitary where the operator is not sufficiently careful With regard to the cleanliness of his hands. Moreover, during the slicing of meat and similar substance, this old mode of operation renders the hands greasy so that they must be washed with soap before the operator may Aperform other tasks. It is` therefore, very desirable to provide a machine which shall perform the stacking operation mechanically.

In the drawings, the numeral l designates the base of a slicing machine which may be of well known and approved construction and which is provided with a standard 2 carrying the usual form of disk knife 3 for cutting slices from a piece of material4 carried on a reciprocating table 5. The table 5 is moved toward and away from the knife 3 to feed the material to the knife by a crank 6 and pitman 7. The crank G is connected by means of the bevel gearing with the main drive shaft 8 which is rotated by means of the hand wheel 9, orl which may be rotated by a motor in the case of a power machine. The material 4 is fed across the table 5 by means of a plate 10 and ratchet mechanism 11, in a manner well known in the art. y

As the slices are cut from the front portion of `the material 4 they are received on prongs or' spikes 12 which are carried by upright bars 13 secured at their upper and lower ends to the links of chains 14' and 15, respectively. The bars 13 have their upper and lower ends respectively, formed integral with the links ofthe chains 14 and 15, and are offset relative to the plane of the pivotal. connections 16 of the links, as shown in Figs. 4 and 10. The prongs 12 of the bars 13 project from the bars toward the plane of the pivotal connections 16 of the chain links, and the prongs are of Patented May 18, 1920. y

distance from` one another, whether the chains 14 and 15 are straightL or curved around a bend in their guides. The conveyer chains 14 and 15 are provided respecfy tively, with guide channels 17 and 18 which lare held in rigid spaced relation relative to one another bya pair of upright posts 19 and 20. The chain guides 17 and 18 and their connecting posts 19 and 20, together with necessary bracing members, constitute a unitary stacker frame which is pivotally supported 'on a third post 21 so that it may swing slightly about the post 21 to move the end of the frame, adjacent the knife, a sulficient distance away from the knife to permit cleaning of the parts of the machine.

-A supporting bracket 22 (Figs. 1 and 3) is ciprocating table 5,' which connection is best shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. A bracket 25 is rigidly secured to the table 5 and carries a pivot 26 on which a lever 27 is mounted. A pin 28 is carried by the upper end of the lever 27 and passes through a slot 29 ina bar 30, which is substituted for the upright lbar 13 in the end links of the conveyer chains 14 and `15. The lower end of the lever 27 is provided with a roller 31, which travels in a groove 32 in a channel bar 33, rigidly secured to the frame ofthe machine, as shown in Fig. 1. The channel bar 33 and the groove 32 are given a downward turn, as shown at 34 in Fig 9 of the drawings, at the end of the bar adjacent the slicing knife. As the table 5 moves tothe right in Fig. 9, toward the slicing knife, the lever 27 and the upright ybar 30 will be caused to move in unison with the table, since the lever 27 is prevented from rotation about the pivot 26 by the roller 31 which travels in the groove 32. As the table 5 nears the end of its travel, the roller 31 will be prevented from further forward movement by the turn 34 in the groove 32. This will cause the upper end of the lever 27 to travel at a greater rate of speed than the table 5, and thus increase the amount of travel of the slice carrier at the end of the reciprocation of the table. This increase in the travel of the slice carrier occurs after the table has passed the knife and after the slice has been completely severed,

and is for the purpose of moving thecarrier va sufiicient amount to bring the last portion of the slice around the bend at the end ofthe frame, and into the position on the front side of the carrier, from which it is discharged onto the stack. ,This will be best understood from Fig. 11 which shows a slice 35 in position to be discharged from the carrier. 1t will be readily understood that the movement of the bar 30, toward the slicing knife, will push the entire slice carrier be fore it, since the links of the chain are held from buckling relative to one another by their guide channels' 17 and 18. A number of idle links are provided immediately adjacent the bar 30, in order that the bars which carry the slices may be forced entirely around the curve at the end of the guide channels adjacent the knife, as shown in Fig. `11. The slice-engaging prongs may be omitted from these idle bars, as indicated in the figures of the drawings.

The portions of the guide channels 17 and 18 on the side of the stacker frame, adjacent the slicing machine, may be positioned at a slight angle to theplane of the slices being formed so that the teeth of the slice carrier are gradually fed into the material as the table 5 and the slice carrying conveyer are moved. in .unison toward 'the slicing knife. It should be understood, however, that this feature is not absolutely essential since the slice carrier may'be arranged in a plane parallel withd the face of the material being sliced and the material will then be simultaneously forced onto all of the prongs by the feeding movement of the table. Where the angular arrangement shown in the drawings is employed, the pin 28 must be made of suiiicient length to reach the slot in the`v bar 30, when the bar is at the The guide channels for the slice carrier are so positioned, relative to the slicing knife and the forward edge of the table 5, that the prongs 12 are fed into the material an amount approximately. equal to the thickness of the slice prior to disconnection of the slice from the main body'of the material, and just sufficient clearance is provided to prevent contact between the points of the prongs and the edge of the knife as the prongs pass the knife. A guard plate 40 is located adjacent the path of movement of the slice as it is carried around the bend at the end of the stacker frame, adjacent the knife. This guard plate, as shown in Fig. 12, deflects the slice away from the knife edge and prevents it from falling away from the points of the prongs 12 at the position where it is thus deflected. The edge `of the guard plate farthestfrom the knife is giveny a slightly greater curvature. than that of the guides foi` the slicercarrier,vand a series of grooves 41 are provided in the edge of the guard through which the points of the prongs 12 pass as they travel around the curved end of the guides. By this. arrangement, the slice is forced onto the prongs a end of the guide channel, as shown in Fig. 10. Y

suliicient amount to permit the points of the prongs to protrude slightly from thel outer surface of the slice. 'lhis insures the slice against any danger of falling from the prongs while it is being carried to the discharge position.

For discharging the slices from the carrier, a fly 45 is provided which carries a series of arms 46 arranged to pass between the rows of prongs 12 between the uprights 13 and the slice 35 as the slice is carried to the outer side ofthe stacker, as shown in Fig. 11. rIhe arms 46 are carried by an upright 47 rigidly secured to a shaft 48 j ournaled in bearings49 carried on a bracket 50 secured to the frame of the machine by lag screws 51. The shaft 48 also carries a rocker arm 52 to which is pivotally attached one end of an operating bar 53. The opposite end of the bar 53 is bifurcated, as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, and extends over a shaft 54l journaled in brackets 55 secured to the under surface of the machine frame. A gear 56 is attached to the shaft 54 and meshes with a pinion 57 carried on the main drive shaft 8. A cam 59 is secured to the shaft 54 having its periphery arranged to engage with a roller 60 carried by a link 61 pivoted at 62 to the bar 53. The link 61 is free to swing about its pivot in one direction, as shown in Fig. 5, but is prevented from movement in the opposite direction by a stop 63 secured to the bar 53. The periphery of the cam 59 normally bears against the roller 60 and the cam is so shaped that when the shaft 54 rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6, the bar 53 will be forced outwardly during a one-half turn'of the shaft and vwill be held stationary in its outermost position during the second half of the rotation of the shaft. After the shaft has made a' complete rotation, the edge of the link 61 will pass over the shoulder 64 on the cam 59 and the .bar 53 will loe-drawn backwardly toward the shaft 54 by a coil spring I65 secured to the bar 53 by means of a pin 66, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The operating surface of thel cam 59 normally operates against the roller 60 but leaves the roller just before the backward movement of the bar 53 is permitted. The link 61 is provided with an additional bearing surface 67 which extends parallel l with the axis of the roller 60, as shown in Fig. 7. The purpose of the additional bearing surface 67 is to release the bar 53 more nearly instantaneously thanwould be done if a roller alone were used. The bearing surface 67 may be set slightly farther from the cam surface 'than the periphery of the roller 60, to insure vbearing of the cam surface on the roller during the principal portion of the rotation of the cam. In practice,

however, itis customary to arrange the surface flush with the rollerv and permit lthe more rapid wearing of the fixed surface to provide the necessary relief. The link which carries the roller 60 is pivotally con- When this shaft is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5, the shoulder 64 of the cam will strike the bearing surface 67 but Athis will not prevent rotation of the shaft since the link 61 is free to swing out gf the way of the cam, as illustrated in this gure.

When the bar 53 is released by the cam 59 and permitted to move toward the shaft 54 under the tension of the spring 65, the fly 45 will be rotated outwardlyvand downwardly about the shaft 48 and will disengage the slice 35 from the prongs 12 and carry the slice before it into a horizontal position above a receiving table 70. The slice will then fall from the fly onto the upper surface of the table. It should be noted that the ily is operated in the discharging direction by the spring and is returned to its initial position by the cam. This secures uniform Speed of operation of the fly during the discharge of the slice independently of the speed of operation ofthe slicing machine. This arrangement is very important since the lrange of speed for the best operation of the fly is not very great. Too great a speed will tend to throw the slice away from the machine and so prevent proper stacking, whilev too slow a speed will permit the slice to drop downwardly .in a crumpled condition instead of being carried before the fingers 46 into a horizontal position from which it is dropped upon the stack. Since the spring operates with the same speed, regardless of the speed at which the hand wheel 9 is rotated, the slices are always dropped from the fly under exactly the same conditions, and will therefore fall evenly on top of one another and form a uniform ile. P To insure a smooth movement of the fly and to prevent shock at the limit of its movement, a spring brake, or rather a shock absorber 71, Figs. 1, 2 and 4, is caused to bear upon a cam 72 formed rigidly with the shaft 48. The brake 71 is carried at the upper end of a lever 73, pivoted at 74, to the bracket 50. A spring 75 normally presses the brake shoe 71 toward the cam 72, and the extent of the movement lof the brake shoe is limited by an adjustable stop screw 76. By this screw the brake shoe 71 may be so set that it 'will begin its braking action at the most advantageous point in the downward swing of the fly 45, and the fly lwill thus be gradually brought to a stop without any noise or jar, and the slice of meat will be discharged from the lower surface of the fly onto the surface of the tray 7 0.

Mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 13 to 16, inclusive, is provided for gradually i feeding the tray downwardly as the slices are stacked upon its surface. The tray 70 is supported by a bracket 77 which extends horizontally from a sleeve 78 mounted to slide vertically upon an upright post 79 which projects upwardly from a crossbar 80 carried by two supporting bars 81 and 82 extending forwardly from the main frame of the machine. The upper end of the bar 79 is braced by an arm 83 which has its inner end secured to a post 84 on the bracket 50. Parallel with the upright 79 is a rotary screw shaft 85 which has its lower end journaled in the extended portion of the bar 80 and which has its upper end journaled in a bearing 86 at the end of an arm 87 extending angularly from the bar 83, as shown best in Fig. 1. The sleeve 78 carries a bracket 88 extending from the sleeve in a direction opposite to the bracket 77 which supports the tray 70, and a dog 89 is pivoted at 90 on the bracket 88 and carries a half-nut 91 at its upper end in position to mesh with the threads .on the screw 85. TheI lower end of the dog 89 carries a lug 92 which lits in the bifurcated end of a bar 93 pivoted' at 94 on the sleeve 78. A spring 95 normally draws the bar 93 upwardly and thus presses the threads of the half-nut 91 into engagement with the threads of the screw 85. A'handle 96 is secured to the sleeve 78 and carries a lever '97 pivoted at 98 thereon and having anosepiece 99 arranged to bear on the upper surface of the bar 93 and press the bar downwardly when the handle 97 Vis moved upwardly by the fingers of the operator. This movement of the lever 97 will forcel the threads of the half-nut 91 out of engagement with the threads of the screw 85 and permit the handle 96 with the sleeve 78 and tray to be adjusted to any desired position upon the upright bar 79. When the lever 97 is` released the half-nut will again engage the screw 85 and retainthe meat tray 70 in whatever position itl has been set.

In order that the tray 70 may be auto- 'matically fed downwardly during a slicing operation, ratchet mechanism is provided for rotating the screw 85 each time the fly 45 is'operated to discharge a slice of meat upon the tray y70,v and this ratchet mechanism may be adjusted so that the distance the tray is fed downwardly will be equal to the thickness of the slicedeposited upon the tray. The thickness ofthe slices is regulated by the ratchet mechanism 11 by which the meat plate 10 is fed forwardly after each slice has been cut. This method of regulating the thickness of the slices is well known in the art and need not be discussed here. It issuflicient to say that the ratchet mechanism for the screw 85, as will be explained, is provided with adjustments corresponding exactly to the adjustments of the ratchet mechanism 11, so that the amount the tray 70 is fed downwardly may be set to be exactly equal to the amount the plate, 10 is fed forwardly, and hence equal to the thickness of the slices cut.

The screw 85 is provided near its upper end with a flange 100 integral therewith, and resting upon the flange 100 is a plate 101 journaled upon the spindle 102 of the screw 85 and free to rotate relative to the screw. Above the plate 101 and rigidly se= cured to the spindle 102 is a ratchet Vwheel 103 by means of which the screw is rotated. Above the. ratchet wheel 103 and free to rotate upon the spindle 102 is journaled an arm 104 which carries a spring pressed pawl 105 near its outer end which is arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 103, as shown in Fig. 15 of the drawings. The arm 104 is provided with a pin 106 swiveled at the outer end thereof and a link 107 is pivoted to the upper end of the pin 106.

The end of the link 107, opposite the pin this arrangement the arm 104 is oscillated to rotate the ratchet wheel 103 each time the shaft 48 operates to move the fly 45 to discharge 'a slice of meat upon the tray 70. It will be apparent from Fig. 2 that the idle movement of the pawl 105 takes place during the discharge action of the stacker fly under vthe influence of the spring 65 and that vthe rotation of the yscrew 85 occurs during the recovery of the fly under the positive action of the cam 59.

In order to regulate the amount that the tray 70 is lowered -at'each operation of the pawl 105, the plate 101'has secured yto its upper surface a cam or shroud 110, as shown best in Fig. 2. ,The shroud 110 is rigidly secured to the plate 101 and extends slightly beyond the teeth of the ratchet wheel 103 for about half of the circumference of the wheel. The pawl 105, asshown in Fig. 15, extends below the teeth of the ratchet wheel 103 a'suflicient distance to engage the extended periphery of the shroud 110. It will be apparent that when the pawl 105 on itsvshroud 110 about thespindle 102 of the,

screw 85 so that the amount of rotation of the screw for each stroke of the pawl may be Varied according to the position'of the shroud. The position of the shroud 110 is shifted by means of the plate 101 to which the shroud is connected, and the plate 101 is provided with a handle 111 by which the plate is rotated about the spindle 102. The plate is held in, its various adjusted positions by means of a'spring-pressed pin 112, Fig. 16, which engages a series of notches 113 on the upper surface of the plate 101.

'The notches 113, as previously explained,

f feed out of engagement with the threads of are so proportioned that the-different adjustments of the ratchet mechanism for the screw 85 will correspond exactly to the adjustments of the ratchet mechanism 11 by which the plate 10 is fed to the slicing knife, and thus for each thickness of slice cut by the slicing machine, an adjustment of the shroud 110 may be made which will feed the table 10 downwardly an amount corresponding to the thickness of -the slice deposited upon the table. It will be seen from Fig. 13 that the tray 70 in its uppermost position is slightly spaced downwardly from the discharge position of the ily 45. This is to allow for the fact that the slices deposited upon the tray will not be packed together quite so closely as they were when they formed thepiece of meat from which they were cut. The space between the tray 70 in its upper position and the lower surface of the fly is not great enough to permit displacement of the slice deposited upon the tray when a stack is begun, but it is sufficient to allow for the increase in the thickness of a given amount of meat after it has been sliced over, the thiclmess of the same meat before slicing so that when the tray 70 has reached its lowermost position, the upper surface of the stack of meat will not interfere with the operation of the fly 45. y

It should be noted that the threads on the screw 85 do not extend entirely to the lower end of the screw, but a blank space 114 is left at the lower end of the screw vso that when the sleeve 78 reaches its lowermost position, the halfK-nut 91 will automatically l the screw and thus prevent any further downward movement of the sleeve 78 and the tray so that danger of breaking the mechanism is avoided.

Figs. 17 and 18 show an arrangement by which the tray 70 may be automatically returned toits uppermost position when a stack of slices is removed from the tray.l In the form here shown the tray 70 is not rigidly connected to the sleeve 78, but is carried by two arms 115 and 116 which are connected to' the sleeve 78 by pivot pins 117 An arm 118 is formed integral with the sleeve 78 and holds a spring 119 at its outerl end which4 normally tends to raise the tray 70 and the arms 115 and 116 upwardly about their pivotal connections 117 with the sleeve 78. The arm 115 is provided with a continuation 120, the bfurcated end of which engages the lug 92 at the lower end of the dog 89 which carries the half-nut 91. When the spring 119 throws the tray 70 upwardly, the extension 120 of the arm 115 will move downwardly and disenga e the half-nut 91 from the screw 85. i coil 'spring 121 surrounds the upright 79 and is of sufficient strength to raise the sleeve 78 and the parts carried thereby to its uppermost position when .the half-nut 91 is out of engagement with the threads in the screw 85. At the beginning of a slicing op-v eration, the sleeve 8 is 1n its uppermost position, but the half-nut 91 will be out of .clent number of slices have been deposited upon the tray to overcome the tension of the sprin 119 and de ress the tray into itsl I horizonta position. his will .cause the half-nut 91 to engage the threads 85 and further operation of the slicing machine will feed the tray downwardly by the rotation of the screw 85 as the slices are deposited upon the tray. This operation will continue until the half-nut 91 reaches the blank portion .114 at the llower -end of the screw 85. The4 tray will remain in this lowered position as long as the slices continue to rest upon the tray. As soon as the slices are removed from vthe tray by the operator, the spring 119 will again tilt the arm 115 and its extension 120 to disengage the halfnut 91 from the threads 85, and asl soon as this occurs the tray will be automatically restored to its uppermostposition by the action of the spring 121nd will thus be reset ready for a new stack of slices.

I claim 1. The combination with a slicing machine comprising a slicing knife and a reciprocating carrier for presenting material to said knife, of driving mechanism for said machine, a receiver for the slices formed by said machine, mechanism for depositing the slices upon said receiver, means for positively and automatically vshifting the position of said receiver as the slices are deposited thereon, and a power transmitting chain 2. The combination' with aslicing ma` chine' comprising mechanism which is adljustable to form slices of different thicknesses,,of a receiver for said slices, means for depositlng the, sllces on said receiver,

{mechanism for adjusting the position of said receiver 'as the slices are deposited thereon, and means for regulating the amount of adjustment of said receiver to correspond to the thickness of the slices formed by said machine.

3. The combination with a slicing machine having an adjustable ratchet mechanism for 'regulating the thickness of the slices formed by said machine, of a receiver` for said slices, means for depositing the slices upon said receiver, and ratchet mechanism for shifting the position of said receiver when a slice is deposited thereon, said last-named ratchet'mechanism being adjustable to vary the amount said receiver is shifted to correspond to the adjustment of the said first-named ratchet mechanism for regulatings the thickness of the slices formed by said machine.

4. The combination with a slicing machine, of a receiver for the slices formed by said machine, means for depositing the slices upon said receiver, a screw for controlling the position of said receiver, and means for automatically operating said screw to shift the position of said receiver as slices are deposited thereon. l y

5. The combination with a slicing machine comprising a slicing knife and a reciprocating carrier for presenting material to said knife, of driving mechanism for said machine, means for successively discharging slices formed by said machine at a fixed position relative to said machine, a receiver vfor said slices, and mechanism having positive direct driving connection with said slicing machine driving mechanism and independent of said reciprocating carrier for automatically shifting said receiver away from said discharge position an amount corresponding to the thickness of the slices for each discharge operation of said machine.

6. The combination with a slicing machine, of a fly movable into a fixed position 'relative to said machine for successively discharging slices from said machine, a tray for `receiving slices discharged by said fly, and mechanism having driving connection with said fly and arranged to operate in timed relation with the movement of said fly for feeding said tray away from the discharge position of said fly.

7. The combination Owith aI slicing machine having adjustable mechanism for regulating'the thickness of the slices formed by said machine, of a fly movable into fixed position relative to said machine for successively discharging slices from said machine, a trayfor receiving said slices, mechanism for feeding said tray away from said discharge position for each operation of said fly, means for adjusting said mechanism to regulate the amount said tray is fed to cor-v respond to the thickness of the slices formed by saidslicing machine, and means for adently of said feeding mechanism.

8. The combination with a slicing machine, of a receiver for the slices formed thereby, a threaded member for adjusting the position of'said receiver, ratchet mechanism for operating said threaded member, means for operating said ratchet mechanism in timed relation with the operation of said slicing machine, and means for regulating the amount of rotation of said threaded member for each operation of said ratchet mechanism.

9. The combination with a slicing machine, of mechanism for discharging the slices therefrom broad side down, a tray for receiving said slices, a threaded member for feeding said'tray downwardly as'the slices are received thereby, ratchet mechanism for operating said threadedl member, means for adjusting said ratchet mechanism to regulate the amount of movement of said tray to correspond to the thickness of slices deposited thereon, and means for adjusting the position of said tray independently of said ratchet mechanism. i

10.- The combination with a slicing machine, of means fordischarging slices from said machine broad side down., a tray for receivingsaid slices, a threaded member for vertically adjusting the position of said tray, ratchet mechanism for operating said threaded member to automatically shift the position of said tray during a slicing operation, and means for disconnecting-said tra from said threaded member to permit a justment of said tray independently of said threaded member.

1'1. The combination withia slicing ma-V chine, of a. receiver for the slices formed by said'machine, means for depositing the vslices upon said receiver as they are formed by 105 said machine, ratchet mechanism for adjusting the position of said receiver, and a connection between said slice depositing means and said ratchet mechanism to cause said ratchet mechanism and said depositing another.

12. The combination with a slicing machine, of means for discharging slices from Y said .'machine at a fixed position relative 115 thereto, a receiver-for said slices, mechanism for limiting the movement of said receiver in one direction to 'a position spaced an appreciable amount from the position'of dis-v charge of said slices at the beginning of the formation of a stack of slices upon said receiver, and means for feeding said receiver away from said discharge position amounts corresponding to the thickness pf slices formed by said machine during subsequent deposit of slices upon said receiver.

13. The combination with a slicing machine, of a vertically adjustable receiver for slices formed by said machine, means for discharging slices upon said receiver from a position spaced above the n-ppermost position of said receiver, and means for feeding said receiver downwardly away from said uppermost position during the deposit of slices .thereon and while the top of the pile of slices on said receiver is spaced from said slice discharge position.`

14. The combination with a slicingv machine, of a vertically adjustable slice receiver therefor, mechanism for discharging sllces broad side downwardly upon said re-l ceiver from a position spaced above the uppermost position of said receiver, means for automatically'feeding said receiver downwardly for each slice deposited thereon, and means for regulating the amount said receiver is fed downwardly to correspond to the thickness ofthe slices formed by -said machine. l

15. rlhe combination of a slicing machine, of a receiver for the slices formed thereby,

a threaded member for shifting the position of said receiver as-slices are deposited thereon, ratchetv mechanism for operating said threaded member in timed relation with the operation ofrsaid slicing machine, and means -forautomatically breaking the connection Y between sa1d threaded member and said receiver when sa1d'rece1ver reaches one eX-' tremity of its pathyof movement.l

16. The combination with av slicing machine, of la receiver for the slicesI formed thereby, e threaded member fer shifting the positionof said receiver as slices aredeposited thereon, ratchet mechanism for operating said threaded member, and means` v ed member toperinit shifting of said receiver independently of said ratchet mechanism at the will of the operator.

18. The combination with a slicing machine, of a receiver for the slices formed thereby, a threaded member for shifting the position of said receiver as slices are deposited thereon, ratchet mechanism for op# erating said threaded member, a handle connected with said receiver for shifting the Aposition thereof, and means for disconnectving said receiverfrom said threaded member to permit adjustment of the position of said receiver atthe will of the operator.

In testimony whereof I have signed my -name to this' specification on this 18th day of April, A. D. l1918.

' JOSEPH FOLK. 

